Swing seat



g- 1950 B. SCHROUGHAM 2,520,157 7 swmc SEAT Filed July 3, 194a IN V EN TOR. BENTON 80577006259414,

- ATTORNEY:

Patented Aug. 29, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SWING SEAT Benton Schrougham, Beech Grove, Ind.

Application July 3, 1948, Serial No. 36,911

7 Claims. ('01. 155--58) The object of the present invention is to provide a swing seat which shall be extremely simple iii'construction and inexpensive to manufacture, and which comprises a seat section and a back section hingedly associated with each other and adapted to assume any one of a plurality of relative positions. A further object of the invention is to provide improved means for retaining the frames or sections, whereby disengagement of that connection, and accidental relative move-- ment between the sections, during use of the chair, is positively prevented.

Further objects of the invention will appear as the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the above and re lated objects, my invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings, attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only, and that change may be made in the specific construction illustrated and described, so long as the scope of the appended claims is not exceeded.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view ofthe chair of the present invention suspended with its respective parts in one position of adjustment;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing a different position of adjustment or the parts;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view showing a detail; and I Fig. 4. is a reduced perspective view including an illustration of suspension meansfor the chair.

Referring more particularly to. the drawings, it will be seen that my chair comprises a generally U-shaped seat frame It] comprising a curved base II and substantially parallel legs I2 and I3; and a generally U-shaped back frame It comprising a curved base I5 and substantially parallel legs I B and Il. A web I8 is formed to provide a plurality of perimetral, tubular pockets I9 and adapted to be threaded onto the legs I2 and I3, and a pocket l9 adapted to be closed about the curved base II after the pockets I9 have been positioned on the legs; and with other pockets 2o adapted to be threaded on the legs I6 and I1 and an end pocket 20 adapted to be closed about the curved base I5 of the back section I4.

Pivot means 2| and 22, which may be bolts,

rivets, or other suitable elements, pivotally connect the extremities of the legs l6 and ll of the back frame I4 with the extremities of the corresponding legs I2 and it of the seat section In to I permit hinged action between the two frames Hi and It.

A rigid arm rest 23 is pivotally associated with the back frame leg IB at a point intermediate the ends of said leg, and curved as shown to terminate in a flattened portion 25. A bolt, rivet, or other suitable pivot element 24 mounts said arm rest 23 on the leg I6.

The leg I2 of the seat frame It is formed, at spaced points in its length, with a plurality of upwardly opening slots, two of such slots, 26 and 2'5, shown in the illustrated embodiment of the invention.

A similar arm rest 28 is pivotally mounted as at 29 upon the back frame leg I1, and is flattened as at 30 at its free end. The leg I3 of the seat frame is provided, at points in its length corresponding to the location of the slots 26 and 21, with similar, upwardly opening slots 3i and 32. It will be clear from an examination of the drawings forming a part hereof that the flattened portions 25 and 3B of the arm rests 23 and 28 are selectively receivable in the slots 26 or 21 and 3! or 32 of the seat frame legs I2 and I3; and that, so long as said flattened portions are retained in selected slots, a predetermined angular relation between the seat frame It and the back frame It will be maintained.

A flexible element 33 has one end secured at 34 to the leg E8 of the back frame member near the curved base I5 thereof, and its other end secured to the leg I2 of the seat frame ill at a point 35 nearthe base II thereof. A second flexible element at has its ends connected, at 31 and 38 to corresponding points on the back frame leg I! and the seat frame leg 13. For a reason which will appear, I presently believe that the flexible elements 33 and 36 will most advantageously be link chains.

A suspension element 39 is adapted to be connected to the chain 33, at a point 41! (Fig. 1) and a companion suspension element 4| is adapted to be connected to the element 36 as at point 42. The suspension elements 36 and AI may desirably be supported upon a standard swing frame, for instance, of the character illustrated at 43 in Fig. 4.

It will be obvious, upon an inspection of the drawings, that the arrangement of parts is such that the suspensory force exerted, by the suspension elements 39 and 4 I, upon the flexible elements 33 and 35, tends to swing the frames iii and I4 relatively toward each other about the pivot points 2! and 22.

With the frames It and M in the positions 11- lustrated in Fig. l the flattened ends 25 and 30 of the rigid arm rests 23 and 28 register with, and are receivable in, the slots 26 and 3|, respectively. The depth of penetration of said arm rest ends into the slots may be limited either by the flaring enlargement of said arm rest ends or by engagement of the extremities of said flattened portions with the inner surfaces of the legs. The important point, however, is the fact that the forces applied to the frames iii and 14, through the elements 33 and 38, by the elements 39 and 4|, tend to increase the depth of penetration of said arm rest ends into the associated slots; and the greater the weight supported in the chair, the greater will be the effective force tending to prevent accidental withdrawal of said arm rest ends from the associated slots, thereby guarding against accidental changes in the relative positions of the frames i5 and is.

Preferably, but not necessarily, the frames Ill and I4 and the arm rests 23 and 28 will be formed of standard tubular stock.

It is desired to swing a baby, or if, for any other reason, the occupant of the illustrated chair chooses to recline, the relative adjustment of the parts may be shifted from that illustrated in Fig. 1 to that illustrated. in Fig. 2, the arm rest ends 25 and 353 being removed from the slots 25 and 3| and engaged in the slots 21 and 32. At the same time, the suspension elements 39 and 4! will be disconnected from the points 4i! and 42 on the flexible elements 33 and 36 and reconnected to elements at the points GB and 42. Because of the desirability of readily shifting the points of connection of the elements 39 and 4| with the elements 33 and 35, the use of chains to connect the two frames if! and i4 is highly desirable, since, the suspension elements 39 and 4! being provided at their lower ends with suitable attaching means, such as hooks, snap hooks, split rings, or the like, said elements may be readily 1. A suspended chair comprising a seat frame and a back frame, the lower portion of the back frame and the rear portion of the seat frame being pivotally associated, flexible means connecting the upper portion of the back frame with the forward portion of the seat frame, suspension means connected with said flexible means to support said chair through said flexible means and to exert thereon a force tending to move the points of said frames connected by said flexible means toward each other, and rigid means pivotally associated with one of said frames and having a post-and-socket association with the other of said frames to resist such tendency.

2. The chair of claim 1 in which said other frame is provided with a slot enterable by said rigid means upon movement of said points toward each other, whereby said force exerted by said suspension means tends to seat said rigid means firmly in said slot.

3. The chair of claim 2 in which said other frame is provided with a plurality of slots differently spaced from the region of pivotal connection of said frames, and selectively enterable by said rigid means. I

4. The chair of claim 2 in which said slot opens through the upper surface of said seat frame and said rigid means comprises a curved arm rest pivoted at one end to said back frame and reduced in lateral width adjacent its opposite end to enter said slot.

5. The chair of claim 1 in which said flexible means comprises a chain and in which said suspension means is selectively connectible to said chain at any one of a plurality of points in the length of said chain.

6. A suspended chair comprising a U-shaped seat frame and a U-sbaped back frame, means providing a pivotal connection between the ends of the legs of said respective frames, a chain connected to each leg .of said back frame near the curved base thereof and to the corresponding leg of said seat frame near the curved base thereof, suspension means selectively attachable to each of said chains at any one of a plurality of points in the length of said chain, each leg of said seat frame being provided, in the region between said pivotal connection and the point of connection of a chain thereto, with a plurality of upwardlyopening slots differently spaced from said pivotal connection, and a rigid arm rest pivotally connected to each leg of said back frame in the region between said pivotal connection and the point of connection of a chain thereto, the free end of each arm rest being selectively enterable in the slots of the corresponding leg of said seat frame.

'7. The chair of claim 6 in which said frames and said arm rests are formed of tube stock and the terminal portions of the free ends of said arm rests are laterally flattened for reception in said slots,

\, BENTON SCHROUGHAM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of-record in th file of thispatent: I

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

